SLAP YA MAMA

The self-proclaimed smoked meats capital of the world, Ville Platte is also world famous for its modern-day jousting tournament, the incomparable Floyd’s Record Shop, and the magnificent Chicot State Park. It’s a magical place, no doubt—even by Louisiana’s high standards.
It was here, back in 1956, that Wilda Marie Fontenot Walker gave birth to Anthony Walker (affectionately known by friends and family as “TW”), the one-of-a-kind creator and sole originator of the award winning Slap Ya Mama brand seasoning—recommended for everything from popcorn to popcorn shrimp, breakfast to late night snacks, and gourmet foods to French fries. To this day,

TW has never once slapped his mama. To tell you the truth, he never even thought about it. Here’s how the story goes.

While running the Walker family deli, TW started his search for a seasoning that had a real Cajun pepper taste without the heavy salt content of the national brands. When he couldn’t find one, he did what folks in this part of the country (and in particular, Ville Platte) do best—he went to work and dreamed one up.

TW’s sons, Jack and Joe, were very young back then, and they loved rolling around and causing general bouts of mayhem, as kids of that age often do. So the Walkers put their boys to work rolling an antique glass pickle jar around the floor of the family deli for the express purpose of mixing their homegrown Cajun seasoning—the perfect combination of work and play, if ever there was one.

Everybody loved the Walkers’ Cajun seasoning so much, that pretty soon it needed a name. To the folks who came into the deli asking to take home the Cajun seasoning, TW would often proclaim,”When you use this seasoning, the food tastes so good, you’ll receive a loving slap on the back and a kiss on the cheek for creating such a great tasting Cajun dish.”

And that’s how the Walker & Son’s Cajun brand Slap Ya Mama was born in the proud Cajun town of Ville Platte, Louisiana.